Ole Miss QB Shea Patterson Looking To Transfer

When Shea Patterson took over as the starting quarterback in 2016 when Chad Kelly went down, I am pretty certain he did not anticipate what the Ole Miss Rebels would be forced to endure after 15 Level I allegations were handed down by the NCAA. I don’t believe that backup Jordan Ta’amu would have capitalized on the opportunity to showcase his talents when he went down with a torn PCL in his right knee. Whether it be another postseason ban or being replaced on the sideline for 2018, it probably won’t make a difference.

After throwing for 3,139 yards and 23 touchdowns in ten career games, Patterson is looking to leave Oxford and get out of the grasps of the NCAA where they were hit with another postseason ban for 2018 and placed on probation through 2020. Since Patterson is not among the 23 upcoming seniors, he will not be eligible immediately and the school has restricted him from moving to any other school who is on their schedule for the next two years. The only option so far for Patterson is Michigan who have two seniors on the roster this year and used a total of three.

Ta’amu who will also be a senior will most likely take over unless he decides otherwise as he threw for 1,682 yards and 11 touchdowns in seven games, starting the remainder of the year when Patterson went down. Along with Ta’amu, there will most likely be four more quarterbacks on the roster and have none signed for 2018 which is a bad sign with recruiting restrictions intact. Patterson’s absense would hurt the depth of the quaterback and set Ole Miss back another year.

One thing to keep in mind is that Ole Miss is appealing the 2018 bowl ban since they took themselves out in 2017 to ease the situation. Even if Patterson does decide to stay, it could mean a quarterback competition in the Spring which could lead into the Fall and Ta’amu could win both. This could be the moment where Patterson is better off sitting out a season.